Norway's Evoy Motors has quietly ascended to the peak of electric outboard power.
At the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, BoatBlurb was present for Axopar's 2025 product launch, which included their new line of AX/E electric boats launched earlier this year.
On the transom of the AX/E was an Evoy outboard, which the company casually mentioned boasts 300 horsepower of continuous output. For those new to electric boating, that's a significant number.
Evoy have been around since 2018, but their position in the marketplace has largely fallen under the radar. It was only last month when a Canadian company made waves at IBEX with the launch of an impressive 250 hp outboard platform. Now, those figures are seemingly second place, and Evoy is now, by all accounts, sitting atop the recreational leaderboard.
That change will likely become common knowledge in 2025, as Evoy and Axopar have partnered to push both companies to the forefront of electric boating. Axopar purchased a 10% stake in Evoy in late 2023 to help advance their mutual cause.
At the FLIBS media event for the 2025 lineup, Axopar founding Partner Jan Erik Viitala told BoatBlurb, "For us, electric boats are just really in the beginning and taking their first steps. But we want to be part of paving that way of development of those very first steps."
While discussing the all-new AX/E 25, which is based off the Axopar 25 Range design, Viitala said, "Here in Fort Lauderdale we're launching the AX/E 25, which is actually the world's fastest serial produced electric outboard powered boat. So with the 300 plus horsepower, with 600 boost power, we can propel this boat way over 50 knots top speed. So, three things to remember -- 25 foot boat, capable of 25 nautical miles, at a cruising speed of 25 knots. But the top speed is 55 plus when you really want to get some action into it."
Those figures mark the dawn of a new era as electric boating fights against the current when it comes to recreational boating -- an underdog seeking to break into a massive market that is unquestionably allegiant to gas power and has been hesitant to adopt new ideas without proof of concept.
Among those seeking to change that ethos is Leif A. Stavøstrand, CEO and co-founder of Evoy Motors.
“Our collaboration with Axopar on the AX/E line brings our vision of ‘irresistible boating’ to life—delivering an electric experience so thrilling that heading back out on the water becomes a must,” he says.
While the company is relatively new, it already has over 50 employees and has done sales in over 20 countries. Evoy is based in Florø, Norway, while Axopar resides in Vaasa, Finland, both of which are coastal cities at the forefront of the European green movement. The Nordic neighbours share a passion for "adventure boating," as Axopar calls it, with both working in unison to offer an alternative to traditional recreational boating.
"Our initiative in the electric is that we want to be a part," says Viitala. "As with Axopar, we are the forerunner of adventure boating. We actually created the genre by itself, by introducing the Axopar products 10 years ago."
To make electric adventure boating viable, Evoy developed the Storm 300+ outboard, which operates at 225 kilowatts with a peak output of 450 kilowatts. In gas-powered terms, that's roughly 335 horsepower of regular output with a peak output pushing about 603 horsepower. For reference, the largest currently available gas-powered outboard is the Mercury V12 Verado 600, which weighs approximately 1260 lbs (571 kg) with an automatic two-speed transmission. The Evoy Storm 300+ is half the weight at 612 lbs (278 kg) and produces 550 Nm of torque, although it's necessary to mention that the lithium batteries required for an electric motor are generally heavier than the fuel requirements for a gas-powered outboard.
That is to say nothing when it comes to other tangential details like emissions, sustainability, and silent operation.
With that in mind, the Storm 300+ uses a 20 kW AC charger but can be upgraded to 40 kW for faster charging on normal outlets or wall boxes. The entire Evoy system is also compatible and included with DC supercharging that enables up to 200 kW of charging power. Evoy also has several battery packs ranging from 63, to 126, and 189 kW of stored power, all of which have an IP67 waterproof rating. Each is designed for 3000 charging cycles. Those are solid figures when trying to encourage boaters to adopt new ideas.
To manage all that tech, Evoy is also forward-thinking with a system of high-contrast TFT touchscreens in single or dual configurations with 10" or 16" screens. A mobile app also gives the captain nearly complete access to the boat's internal diagnostics, including charging management, sensor readings, trip logs, and GPS tracking. The company also says new features are coming like a charging log, CO2 impact readings, and geofencing.
Both Evoy and Axopar have made it clear they intend to expand in the U.S market in 2025. With the leading electric technology on their transoms, it stands to reason they hold the best chance of penetrating a market where others have been hindered by inefficient, unreliable, or dubious tech.
"Together, we’re showing that electric boating can provide the performance, excitement, and sustainability adventure boaters demand," says Stavøstrand
It gets better, too.
Evoy has quietly published a new model coming in 2025 -- the Hurricane 400+ outboard.
400 horsepower, at presumably half the weight of a gas-powered equivalent, might be enough to not only create technological parity between gas-powered and electric outboards, it might also be enough to bring boaters across the dock towards a new era in boating culture.
At a cruising speed of 25 Knots and a range of 25 miles (or 1 hour). you better not get too far from the extension cord, I'm sorry, but how can anyone think this is a viable alternative to dinosaurs?